Memories of Sinatra

The Memories of Sinatra show is a tribute to the great legacy that is Frank Sinatra. His voice, music, and style set the stage for generations of singers and entertainers to come.

With the Memories of Sinatra show, much care was taken to reproduce the music as closely as possible to the originals recordings. Many of our arrangements were taken from the hard to find original scores!

John Kirkwood does a great job recreating the vocal stylings and swagger of Frank Sinatra while Mark Van Cleave recreates the swinging sounds by conducting the 20 piece orchestra. Together, this combination will bring back some of your fondest memories of the Frank Sinatra years.

Frank Sinatra Legacy

Francis Albert Sinatra has been called the most popular entertainer of the 20th century. Sinatra was, of course, more than just a singer—he was an actor, recording artist, cabaret and concert star, radio and television personality, and, on occasion, producer, director, and conductor.

Over his lengthy career, Sinatra earned three Oscars®, three Golden Globes, including the Cecil B. DeMille Award, ten personal Grammys® (and a total of 20 for his albums), an Emmy, a Peabody, and the Kennedy Center Honors Award in 1983. In addition, Sinatra was awarded the Presidential Medal Of Honor and the Congressional Gold Medal, Congress' highest civilian award.

Born in Hoboken, New Jersey, Sinatra decided to become a singer after hearing the music of his idols, Bing Crosby and Billie Holiday. His big break came in 1939, when he became Harry James' band vocalist. He went on to join Tommy Dorsey, and later struck out on his own, appearing on radio's Your Hit Parade and his own program, Songs By Sinatra, among others. Sinatra recorded hit songs for Columbia records from 1943 to 1952.

In late 1942, Sinatra made his historic appearance at the Paramount Theatre in New York's Times Square, where the headline artist was Benny Goodman. Sinatra made his movie debut the following year and went on to star in more than 50 films, winning an Academy Award as Best Supporting Actor for his role in From Here To Eternity, and a special Oscar for a short film against racial prejudice, The House I Live In.

From 1953 to 1961, Sinatra recorded more than 17 albums for Capitol Records. In 1956, he was the first artist to record in the newly built Capitol Studios at Hollywood & Vine in Los Angeles. During Sinatra's years with Capitol, he pioneered and perfected the idea of the "concept album" by recording and sequencing songs on his LPs to strike and complete a specific mood. Albums such as Come Fly With Me, Only The Lonely, Songs For Swingin' Lovers! and In The Wee Small Hours are considered classics.

In 1960, Sinatra formed his own record company, Reprise. At that label, he recorded many of his signature hits, such as "Strangers In The Night," "My Way," and "Theme from New York, New York."

Francis Albert Sinatra passed away on May 14, 1998 as one of the 20th century's most iconic entertainers. Years after his passing, the memories of Sinatra and his legacy not only endure but also continue to grow in stature.